Police claim to have shot dead four naxalites in Latehar

Latehar (Jharkhand): The police on Saturday claimed to have shot dead four naxalites during an hour-long gun battle near Gurdag village in Latehar district.

Getting a tip-off that some extremists had assembled near the village, CRPF personnel and the district police cornered them and in the ensuring encounter four naxalites were killed around 11 am, Latehar Superintendent of Police Kranti Kumar told reporters here.

The villagers told the police about seeing the dead being carried away by the retreating naxalites, the SP said.

The police suspect that the killed persons belonged to either the CPI (Maoist) or its breakaway group Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (1) as the two outfits operate in those areas.

Three rifles, 33 cartridges, Rs 2,500 and some other materials were recovered from the encounter spot, the police officer said.